Listed Building: MANOR HOUSE (279508)

GISLINGHAM MILL STREET (NORTH SIDE), TM 07 SE LITTLE GREEN 2/52 Manor House (formerly 29.7.55 listed as Manor Farmhouse and barn) GV II* Large house. Late C15, extended c.1500, all probably for the Garland family; stack and floor inserted in C16, extended C17, probably for Smeare family; reroofed and altered 'GSAW 1813' on stack. Timber frame, plastered with some colourwashed C19 white brick casing. Slate roofs. Originally 4 bays, a 2 bay open hall with storeyed lower bay and smoke bay at upper end; early 2 bay storeyed parlour addition, later 2 bay kitchen/dairy range added to form an L on plan. Now all 2 storeys. Main range has entrance in original cross passage position with a 6 fielded panelled door, reeded and lugged architrave, hall to right has 3 and 4-light C20 casements. To right ground floor of parlour addition is set back slightly, jettied upper storey projects slightly; 4 exposed moulded shafts, 3 with roll and bell moulded caps to curved brackets to broad joists, one has a later shaped bracket, at original front angle corner post has embattled and Tudor flower brattishing, a large curved bracket to dragon beam. Originally jet tied gable end rebuilt in brick with recessed casements. Axial ridge stack inserted in smoke bay, cap rebuilt in white brick with datestone. To rear a first floor 3-light ovolo mullioned window to stairs in stack bay, lean-to additions from parlour and service bay. Kitchen/dairy range attached at front angle of service bay has a boarded door in a C20 open porch, a second dairy door to far left, scattered casements, red brick right gable end with internal kitchen stack, pantiled lean-to oven outshuts. Attached to left a C19 weatherboarded and pantiled outbuilding. Interior: chamfered doorway to service end had a 4 centred arched head, original pantry/buttery partition, 3-light diamond mullioned window openings, stop chamfered joists, stairs originally in rear half of service bay. Hall has close studding, a thick sill probably for an oriel window, inserted stop chamfered :cross axial binding beam, joists and fireplace bressumer, traces of 4 centred arched door head from hall through smoke bay to parlour; smoke bay has newel stairs behind inserted stack with a 3-light cavetto mullioned window opening. Parlour has close studding with chamfered mid-rails, chamfered crossed binding beams and dragon beam, plain joists, an original 4 centred arched door head near double jettied corner, chamfered 4 centred arched brick fireplace. First floor: arched braces to cambered tie beams, braces removed from open truss, stop chamfered 4 centred arched firplaces. Hall chamber 5- light diamond mullioned window openings, stop chamfered cross axial binding beam and joists. Parlour chamber stop chamfered crossed binding beams and joists with leaf stops, a 4-light window opening with roll and cavetto mullions and intermediate small diamond mullions, cranked arched braces on end wall. Stop chamfered joists in original solar. Crown post mortices remain in tie beams. Kitchen/dairy range has bar and jewel stopped cross axial binding beams, a 5-light diamond mullioned window opening. The house stands at the front of a site with a moat of three arms. The Manor was formerly known as Brands. (East Anglian Miscellany, vol.14, 1920, pp100-8). Listing NGR: TM0649572064